jacqueline444's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
msvenner's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure why I'm rating this a four... But I am... Maybe a 3.75?
I have wanted to read this book ever since I found out the reason my father's middle name (much to his disappointment) was Evelyn was because Evelyn Waugh was one of my grandmother's favourite writers.
The style of writing is very old school and very wordy. This is one reason I don't often read 'classics', because I find wading through the literary style of another era rather wearying. That said, I kept coming back to this book.
It was an interesting view into another era, into the floundering noble world in the 20s. I found Ryder's relationship with his wife and children quite shocking but, in hindsight, probably fitting for the time and social class. Still, it was very foreign to the modern notion of marriage.
In the end, I can't tell you what drew me to the story but something did. I found myself thinking about the characters while not reading it but at the same time I felt like I was plodding through the prose when I was.
I don't know... Perhaps I am as odd as the eccentric Marchmains themselves.
I have wanted to read this book ever since I found out the reason my father's middle name (much to his disappointment) was Evelyn was because Evelyn Waugh was one of my grandmother's favourite writers.
The style of writing is very old school and very wordy. This is one reason I don't often read 'classics', because I find wading through the literary style of another era rather wearying. That said, I kept coming back to this book.
It was an interesting view into another era, into the floundering noble world in the 20s. I found Ryder's relationship with his wife and children quite shocking but, in hindsight, probably fitting for the time and social class. Still, it was very foreign to the modern notion of marriage.
In the end, I can't tell you what drew me to the story but something did. I found myself thinking about the characters while not reading it but at the same time I felt like I was plodding through the prose when I was.
I don't know... Perhaps I am as odd as the eccentric Marchmains themselves.
camix_2000's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
minnaohrner's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
postmodernblues's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"'No,' I said, 'not what it was built for. Perhaps that's one of the pleasures of building, like having a son, wondering how he'll grow up. I don't know; I never built anything, and I forfeited the right to watch my son grow up. I'm homeless, childless, middle-aged, loveless, Hooper." - Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited, page 350
Me while reading an Evelyn Waugh book: man, these two guys are assholes. I wonder if they've ever explored each others' bodies.
Unbearable English-ness and spiritual desolation. What more can you want?
Me while reading an Evelyn Waugh book: man, these two guys are assholes. I wonder if they've ever explored each others' bodies.
Unbearable English-ness and spiritual desolation. What more can you want?
grac_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
safire's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
catherine_t's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Definitely a classic of 20th-century literature, Brideshead Revisited is a meditation on friendship, love, and loss. It's also an examination of the rot that underlay the British class system in the 1920s, and ultimately a look at a way of life that was already passing into history even as its proponents tried to hang on to it.
carnivalofvanity's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
laurenlethbridge's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25